... Agrobacterium radiobacter strains K84, K1026 and K84 Agr- produced in vitro an antibiotic-like substance (ALS 84), different from agrocin 84 and observed in mannitol-glutamate medium. Twenty five out of 39 A. tumefaciens strains of biovars 1, 2 and 3 were sensitive to ALS 84 regardless of their sensitivity to agrocin 84. Sensitivity in A. tumefaciens strain C58 was not encoded by the Ti-plasmid. M ...

... A predictive phenological model is described for the parasitoid Mictoctonus hyperodae, introduced to New Zealand as a potential biological control agent against Argentine stem weevil Listronotus bonariensis. The model is based on development/temperature relationships obtained from experiments on the parasitoid in quarantine prior to its release, allowing early predictions of its phenology in diffe ...

... Zygogramma bicolorata Pallister (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) of Mexican origin, released in Bangalore in 1984, was observed defoliating Parthenium hysterophorus L. (Asteraceae) in 1988, and had dispersed over 50000 km2 by 1992. The insect appears to have potential in reducing weed density in those parts of India having moderate weather conditions. ...

... Studies were undertaken to develop an improved understanding of the mechanism by which spores of Pasteuria penetrans bind to the cuticle of susceptible nematode hosts. A polyclonal antibody recognized an antigenic ladder at Mr approximately 41 kDa when Meloidogyne javanica cuticle extracts were electrophoresed in the presence of SDS and blotted on to a nitrocellulose membrane. Digestion of the cut ...

... A technique was developed to allow ultra-low volume (ULV) application of an oil formulation of the deuteromycete, Metarhizium flavoviride Gams & Rozsypal, to Apis mellifera (Linneus). In the first experiment, application of a dose equivalent to twice the expected field application rate killed 30% of the bees and a twenty-fold dose killed 87%. In a second experiment, a realistic field dose formulat ...

... The inflection of grasshoppers by naturally occurring, entomopathogenic fungi was monitored at two sites in Malanville, northern Benin, Africa. Grasshoppers were collected and recorded from the sites between June and December 1992 and all of them, barring the first instars, were incubated in ventilated cages. At the first site, 1343 individuals of 35 grasshopper species were incubated, and at the ...

... Metarhizium anisopliae spores were produced on nutrient-impregnated membranes (NIMs). The NIM system involved wetting the membrane with a spore and nutrient suspension, followed by harvesting the spores produced after incubation. The cost efficiency of spore production was assessed for a range of nutrient sources and membrane types. Skim milk powder (20 g l-1) was found to be the most cost-effecti ...

... Larvae of the New Zealand grass grub (Costelytra zealandica) were treated with the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae, and the bacterium, Serratia entomophila, singly and in combination. The mortality of second instar larvae up to 41 days in treatments with both pathogens together was significantly greater than the additive mortalities of single pathogen treatments, and therefore syne ...

... Treatment with Pseudomonas putida WCS3S8r, a rifampicin-resistant derivative of strain WCS358, significantly reduced fusarium wilt of carnation grown in rockwool if disease incidence was moderate, but not if disease incidence was high. Differences in disease incidence could intentionally be established by varying the inoculum density of the pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. dianthi (Fod). The eff ...

... The effects of four humidities (33, 55, 76 and 93% relative humidity) and four ages (0-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-7 days) of parasitized Chromatomyla syngenesiae puparia on adult emergence in the leafminer parasitoid Dacnusa sibirica were examined in the laboratory. Parasitized puparia harvested at 0-1 days were susceptible to low humidities resulting in a significantly reduced parasitoid emergence. Aging of ...

... A multi-test screening system identified 63 fungal isolates with high in vitro biocontrol activity against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. A bioassay method was developed, using sunflower seedlings growing in an unsterilized loam mixture. Twenty-six isolates were tested in a series of five bioassay tests and a significant correlation (P < 0.01) was found between sclerotial infection in vitro and the num ...

... Blastospores of three strains of Metarhizium anisopliae were stored in 18 liquids at 4 degrees C, 20 degrees C and 35 degrees C for 18 weeks, 12 weeks or 9 days respectively. Viability was quantified by determination of their germination. In bioassays the virulence of stored blastospores was studied using adults and third instars of Locusta migratoria migratorioides (R. & F.) and compared to those ...